Solar Turbines Mars 100

11,350 kWe generator set; a separate 11,860 kW mechanical-drive rating is a different product

Solar Turbines Mars 100 is one of 21 gas turbines tracked in the SecondWatt catalogue, each with specifications, lead times and indicative secondary-market pricing.

Solar Turbines Mars 100 dossier: verified 11,350 kWe rating, SoLoNOx emissions, overhaul economics, and secondary-market pricing for data center buyers.

The Solar Turbines Mars 100 is a two-shaft industrial gas turbine sold as two packaged products from the same core: the Power Generation (PG) generator set (type code T-16002) and a separate Mechanical Drive / Gas Compressor package with no generator. This dossier covers the PG package only. Dealer listings carry inconsistent suffixes ("15002," "15000SAN," "Mars 100-16000") that do not map onto Solar's own T-16002 designation. The PG package is rated 11,350 kWe ISO at generator terminals, re-verified against four primary sources rather than carried forward unchecked. A separate Mechanical Drive package on the same core is rated 11,860 kW (15,900 hp) at the bare coupling, and some "generator set" listings quote that higher figure, the wrong product's number for a power buyer. Mars 90 (T-13002, 9.87 MW, 1977) and Mars 100 (T-16002, 11.35 MW, 1989) share one architecture, not two unrelated machines. SoLoNOx is optional per Solar's own page, not standard, though a live New York DEC permit for in-service Mars 100-16002S4 units documents a 9 ppmvd NOx / 25 ppmvd CO guarantee at 15% O2. Solar publishes a 100,000-hour gear life and 30,000-hour gearbox inspection interval but no turbine hot-section or overhaul interval; a 1996-built field unit shows 105,000 total hours with 33,000 since its last overhaul.

Why it matters

Two Solar-sourced documents agree the Mars 100 PG package delivers only 8,800 kW (11,000 kVA) at 40 C ambient against its 11,350 kWe ISO rating at 15 C, roughly a 22.5% haircut a data center buyer in a hot climate is actually buying. A separate Mechanical Drive package sharing the same core turbine is rated 11,860 kW at the coupling; reading that figure as generator output overstates deliverable power by about 510 kW.

Who buys it

Data center developers assembling multi-unit distributed-power blocks buy Mars 100 PG units alongside oil and gas producers and industrial cogeneration hosts, its historical core market. Solar's own Pre-Owned Equipment program lists the Mars 100 directly for brokers, resellers, and secondary-market buyers, not only original purchasers. Units often reach the market when a subsidized or captive-fuel operation shuts down economically, leaving a low-hour, well-maintained asset intact.

Role in the data center

Bridge or prime power block sized at roughly 11.35 MW ISO per PG unit (about 8.8 MW at 40 C ambient) in multi-unit distributed configurations.

Key specifications

Technical summary

ISO base-load electrical output (PG package): 11,350 kWe Mechanical Drive package output (different product): 11,860 kW / 15,900 hp Site rating at 40 C ambient: 8,800 kW / 11,000 kVA Heat rate: 10,935 kJ/kWe-hr (10,365 Btu/kWe-hr) Generator-terminal efficiency: 32.92 % Pressure ratio: 17.8:1 Exhaust flow / temperature: 153,245 kg/hr / 485 C (905 F) Power turbine speed: 8,625 rpm (50 Hz) / 8,570 rpm (60 Hz) Package weight: 82,145 kg (181,000 lb) SoLoNOx: 9 ppmvd NOx / 25 ppmvd CO at 15% O2 (field permit, manufacturer guarantee)

Configurations and options

Both 50 Hz and 60 Hz PG configurations exist, with different generator voltage tables and slightly different power turbine speeds (8,625 rpm at 50 Hz, 8,570 rpm at 60 Hz). Fuel options are natural gas standard, with diesel, dual-fuel, and low-Btu gas available. Combustion is SoLoNOx (14 lean-premix injectors, optional per Solar's own page) or a conventional combustor not documented.

Compatibility and dependencies

Confirm generator presence, voltage, and frequency directly against a listing rather than trusting its model suffix, since dealer labels for this exact model ranged from "15002" to "15000SAN" to "Mars 100-16000" without a documented mapping to Solar's own T-16002 designation. The Mechanical Drive package sharing this core turbine has no generator and is not interchangeable with the PG package for a power-generation role.

Pricing and availability

Comparable secondary-market band: 212–853 $ per kW. Trend: flat The clearest sourced provenance signal instead: two 2011-built SoLoNOx units ran until March 2023, when a natural gas fuel subsidy ended, leaving a low-hour asset on the market for economic rather than mechanical reasons. Warranty, used: Solar Pre-Owned/exchange program offers warranty reinstatement on secondary-market units; otherwise as-is typical on broker/reseller listings.

Lifecycle and maintenance

Solar publishes a 100,000-hour design gear life for the Mars 100 package with a 30,000-hour major gearbox inspection interval, but no separate turbine hot-section or major-overhaul interval appears on any public data sheet found. Field evidence: a 1996-built unit carries 105,000 total fired hours with 33,000 hours since its last overhaul. Solar's Pre-Owned Equipment program explicitly serves brokers, resellers, and secondary-market buyers, not only original purchasers, with warranty reinstatement offered, a real resale-value fact for a used Mars 100.

Common failure points

• Combustor liner / SoLoNOx injectors — Rising CO or NOx trend, flashback, or injector coking reducing lean-premix combustion stability
• First-stage turbine nozzle/blade — Coating loss, cracking, or tip rub visible on borescope beyond the roughly 30,000-hour major-inspection point
• Gearbox — Vibration trend rise or gear-tooth wear approaching Solar's cited 100,000-hour design gear life
• Generator windings — Falling insulation resistance on Class F windings after 15+ years of service
• Control system / Turbotronic HMI — Obsolete Windows-based display hardware with limited OEM software support
• Fuel system / dual-fuel hardware — Liquid-fuel skid present but unused, or missing atomizing-air components
• Package enclosure and fire/gas detection — Corrosion on outdoor weatherproof enclosures from prior oil and gas field duty, intermittent sensor faults

Inspection checklist

Fired hours since new and since last major overhaul — compare against Solar's own 30,000-hour major-inspection interval and a field unit seen at 33,000 hours since overhaul Starts count and cycling profile — request the full log; a low starts-to-hours ratio (e.g. 150 starts on 35,000 hours) signals near-baseload duty Most recent borescope video or images, not a summary report — focus on the combustor and the 2-stage power turbine section SoLoNOx injector count and condition — Solar's data sheet specifies 14 lean-premix injectors per unit; verify count matches and check for coking First-stage turbine blade and nozzle coating condition — spallation, cracking, or tip rub beyond the ~30,000-hour inspection point 15-stage axial compressor blade condition, 17.8:1 design pressure ratio — erosion, fouling, or foreign-object damage from field duty Bearing vibration trend data from the Bently Nevada monitoring system — pull at least the last 12 months of trend, not one spot reading Gearbox hours — Solar cites a 100,000-hour design gear life with a 30,000-hour major-inspection interval Generator winding insulation resistance — Class F windings on 1990s-2010s builds are well past half design life; require a current megger test Generator bearing type and oil analysis history — dual split-sleeve, oil-lubricated bearings per the OEM package spec, minimum 2 years of oil-sample history Control system generation — confirm Turbotronic version and whether the HMI still runs on supported hardware, not a Windows 2000-era build Installed fuel trains versus nameplate — dual-fuel hardware is optional on the 2-fuel-train configuration; confirm what is actually installed Package enclosure and weatherproofing condition — corrosion on the 82,145 kg outdoor skid, especially units with oil and gas field history Fire and gas detection system function — test infrared flame and gas detectors directly during the site visit rather than accept a paper certificate Prior operating environment and overhaul provider — offshore/O&G duty versus light industrial duty changes wear pattern across the machine's fired-hour total; confirm whether Solar or a third party performed prior overhauls and whether OEM warranty reinstatement was obtained

Procurement channels

Solar's own Pre-Owned Equipment program lists the Mars 100 directly for brokers, resellers, and secondary-market buyers, not only original purchasers. The clearest sourced provenance example: two 2011-built SoLoNOx units ran until March 2023, when operation ceased following the end of a natural gas fuel subsidy, not any mechanical failure, leaving a low-hour, well-maintained asset available on the secondary market.

Regional notes

Both 50 Hz and 60 Hz PG configurations exist with different generator voltage tables; confirm frequency before assuming a listed unit fits a given site. Units checked originate from oil and gas fleet churn and show no single dominant region.